Top Stories

News stories, radio and TV episodes that warrant one of six spots on our homepage. The homepage is in chronological order of publication date, so stories are moved off the homepage as more are categorized “top stories.”

Push or pause? Near Iditarod’s mid-point, mushers decide when to rest

It’s break time on the Iditarod trail, as teams hunker down for 24 hours of uninterrupted rest along the Yukon River or consider pushing down the trail to a later checkpoint. As the race approaches the halfway point mushers try to plan how to get the most from their tactical breaks. Listen now
Jesse Kiehl

New bill would add guardrails to Alaska property assessments

Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, says the bill aims to make the property assessment process in the state more fair and transparent for residents.
a man in a tie

Anchorage HR director ‘walled off’ from investigating library staff complaints

HR director Niki Tshibaka has faced criticism over his support for Deputy Library Director Judy Eledge as complaints regarding her conduct were being investigated by the city’s Office of Equal Opportunity Director.
an old photo of a Black woman in a graduation gown

Anchorage School Board adds name of pioneering Black educator to Fairview Elementary

The Anchorage School Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to commemorate the district’s first Black teacher and principal by adding her name to her community‘s elementary school.
a man feeding his dogs

For those mushing the Iditarod trail, the ultimate form of social distancing, coronavirus news begins to trickle in

As news of emergency measures and coronavirus closures spreads, there’s at least one group of people that is almost totally in the dark: Iditarod mushers.
Sunrise over Cook Inlet

Homer man saved after clinging to ice chunk for more than 30 minutes in Cook Inlet

Jamie Snedden, 45, of Homer, was rescued Saturday near the community of Anchor Point on the Kenai Peninsula.

Dunleavy points to university budget cut agreement as a model

Nonprofit leaders have said they’re open to working with the governor. But it’s unclear how the approach will work in practice.

AK: How an Arkansas duck tagger became a champion musher

The Iditarod is upon us, and those who follow the race know that dog mushing is home to many colorful characters. It might seem strange that one of Alaska's top mushers has a southern accent - but, when one reporter from Arkansas heard Allen Moore's southern drawl, she immediately recognized one of her own. Listen now

VAWA bill in Senate would expand power of up to 30 Alaska tribal courts

Tribes in the pilot program would be able to try and sentence anyone who commits domestic violence, rape or related crimes in their villages, even if the offender is non-Native.

Owners of Selendang Ayu plead guilty and pay $10 million

Photo by U.S. Coast Guard A final federal settlement was reached today with the owners of the Selendang Ayu, the freighter that ran aground off...
A portrait of a man with a half-zipped fleece

Alaska’s top tribal health executive, Andy Teuber, has resigned

The nonprofit consortium is an umbrella group that coordinates health care for Alaska Native people and helps run the Anchorage Native hospital. It's also one of the state's largest employers, with more than 3,000 workers.

Retired EPA ecologist Phil North speaks out

Retired EPA ecologist Phil North resurfaced in the US last month for deposition in a lawsuit filed by the Pebble Mine. Pebble alleges EPA broke Federal Advisory Committee Act rules when it developed the Bristol Bay watershed assessment, and says North was at the center of the effort. But whether Pebble found a silver bullet with EPA's once 'missing man' remains to be seen Download Audio
Officers sit in a meeting room

Senators hope new bill can keep public safety officers in rural Alaska

The Alaska VPSO Program has been on the decline. In the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta alone, the program has shrunk by about 90%. 

Murkowski suggests taxing outdoor rec gear to help fund park projects

Senator Lisa Murkowski used a mudslide prone stretch of the Denali National Park Road to point to the need for more funding to address major maintenance at parks. Listen now
A helicopter in the sky

Victims of Sitka charter wreck identified as a local boat captain and visitors from California and Hawaii

The passengers aboard the fishing charter boat were two sisters and their partners visiting Alaska from out of state.
Two women in conversation. One sits at a table in front of a laptop. The other stands next to the table.

In Alaska’s US House race, Galvin campaign goes big AND goes home

Rep. Don Young's challenger is running a $4 million campaign, much of it spent on ads. But in Galvin's Anchorage split-level, it's a more home-spun effort.
A red salmon as seen from underwater

Many Alaska king salmon stocks up for Endangered Species Act review after group’s petition

The National Marine Fisheries Service said Thursday that listing the chinook stocks might be necessary to save the species.
Several syringes on a table

State vaccine task force plans include ‘backup plans for our backup plans’

In one possible scenario, vaccines would need to be kept at -70 degrees as they are shipped around Alaska, where 80% of communities are off the road system.
A school.

Kodiak borough schools switch to remote learning amid coronavirus spike

5% of the Kodiak Island Borough’s population is known to presently have COVID, using the data from the latest census in 2020.   

Bob Penney spent more than $300,000 to get Gov. Dunleavy elected. Then his grandson got an $8,000-a-month no-bid contract.

Clark Penney's company, Penney Capital, was hired to help a Dunleavy administration initiative to bring new businesses to Alaska and expand existing ones. Officials justified the no-bid contract by citing its urgency and Penney's experience working with wealthy investors.